Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Five Components and Tips for Safe Teen Driving around Livingston County

BRIGHTON Mich. June 6, 2012 – Getting your drivers license
can be a very exciting experience for teens but can also be quite stressful for
parents. The GDL (Graduated Drivers License) is a trend that is spreading, one
where states put restrictions on novice drivers in a bid to reduce accidents
and lower death rates. An analysis conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute has found that if every state
adopted all five components of the toughest driving laws in the nation, then
more than 9,500 collisions could be averted, saving at least 500 teen lives
annually.

The five components described by the IIHS are permit age,
practice hours, license age, night driving, and passengers. We will go through
these five components and give you the IIHS best recommended GDL provisions and
see how Michigan compares to other states in the country. Let’s take a look:

1. Permit age of 16
– There are 8 states and the District of Colombia that have a minimum age
requirement of 16 to get a learners permit. In Alaska teens only have to be 14
years old to obtain a learners permit. In Michigan teens can begin drivers
education at 14 years and 8 months and will have to demonstrate supervised
driving experience before moving onto segment 2 of driver education.

Michigan teens must complete 50 hours of supervised driving.

2. Practice hours –
The majority of the states require a set number of practice hours before a teen
driver can get their license. Pennsylvania has the most required amount with a
minimum of 65 hours. Some states like South Dakota, New Jersey, and Arkansas
have no minimum supervised driving requirement. In Michigan teens must practice
at least 50 hours of supervised driving and at least ten of those hours must be
driven at night.

3. License age –
In South Dakota teens that are 14 years and 3 months old can obtain their
license if they have completed driver education. In states such as Idaho,
Montana and North Dakota teens can get a license at 15 years old, but New
Jersey teens won’t be getting behind the wheel by themselves until they are 17.
Michigan falls in with the majority of the country with an age requirement of
16 years old and completion of driver education and a driving skills test.

Here is the age requirement by state for teens to get their drivers license

4. Night Driving
– Most states have restrictions on night driving for teen drivers. In states
like Connecticut and Arkansas teens cannot drive at night until their 18th
birthday. South Carolina teens can only drive until 6:00 PM. Michigan teens are
restricted from driving between the hours of 10:00 PM and 5:00 AM.

5. Passengers – Teen
drivers are already at risk of being involved in an accident simply because
driving is a newer experience to them. Add the distraction of additional teen
passengers and the chance of an accident significantly increases, and in some
cases can be deadly. About 15 states and the District of Colombia do not allow
teen passengers at all. The Michigan GDL requirements states,

“ Drivers shall
not operate a motor vehicle at any time with more than one passenger in the
vehicle who is less than 21 years of age except: when additional passengers are
immediate family members; when driving to or from in the course of employment;
while performing an authorized activity; or when accompanied by a parent or
legal guardian or a licensed driver 21 years of age or older designated by the
parent or legal guardian.”

In general Michigan GDL requirements are above the average
standards compared to the rest of the states. Teen drivers should remember,
getting your license is a privilege and something to be proud of but it also
comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility. Parents, share this article
with your teen and our other Teen
DrivingTips
articles to help them stay safe behind the wheel.

Brighton Ford is located
at 8240 Grand River Ave. just north of I-96 in Brighton. We are a family owned
and operated business that strives on customer satisfaction. Brighton Ford
proudly serves the Brighton Ford dealership needs, Howell Ford dealership
needs, Fowlerville Ford dealership needs, South Lyon Ford dealership needs,
Whitmore Lake Ford dealership needs and Ann Arbor Ford dealership needs. For
more information on Brighton Ford visit BrightonFord.com or
give us a call at (800)-836-8206.

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Brighton Ford in Brighton, Michigan is the Livingston County's Largest Ford car & truck dealership. Serving our customers is our #1 priority. We offer New Vehicles and Used Cars, Trucks, SUVs, and Vans, while our Service Department services all makes and models of vehicles.

Our auto dealership is packed with 20 acres of cars, trucks, crossovers, SUV's and a huge selection of used cars available for you to choose from to ensure you can get the car you want with the options you need.